Fire-escape.



PATENTED JAN. '7, 1908.

E. LIBERTY.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26.1906.

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I No. 876,004.

PATENTED JAN. '7, 1908.

E. LIBERTY. FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, 1906.

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' No. 876,004. PATENTED JAN. 7, 1908.

B. LIBERTY.

FIRE ESCAPE; APPLICATION FILED APE.26.1906.

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EMERY LIBERTY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '7, 1908.

Application filed April 26. 1906. Serial No. 313.735-

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMERY LIBERTY, a citizen of the United States, andresident of the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a folding fire escape with which an alarmmechanism for different parts of the house is so connected that alarmswill continually ring while the ladder is in position for use.

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred form of my invention isillustrated, and in the claims the characteristic features arespecified.

Figure l is a side view of the apparatus, adjusted for the escape ofthe'inmates of the house. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same. Fig. 3' isa plan view of the apparatus, with the top removed and in its normal orout-ofuse position. Fig. 4 is a section on the plane Fig. 5 is asectionon the plane 55 of Fig. 3, showing the ladder unwound for use. Fig. 6 isa similar section showing the ladder wound u p.

Throughout the drawings similar letters indicate similar parts.

Firstly, I desire to specify as an equivalent for a ladder any knownmeans for permitting persons to descend without injury, such, forinstance, as a rope, with or without knots, flights, steps, orfriction-controlled sliding mechanism.

Within the casing a is mounted the reel 12, provided with a square end0, or other means for turning it by hand or power. The ladder d,preferablyconsisting of links, as illustrated, is normally wound uponthe reel, and the whole apparatus may be secured upon the roof of ahouse, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. Preferably the casing will be placed soas not to be seen from the street, and therefore l )rovide means forcarrying the end of the adder over the coping and starting it downwards.For this purpose a plate is disposed in said casing under the free endof the ladder and serves as a guide and support therefor. A springroller is disposed above said plate in said casing near the mouththereof. A strap f is connected at one end with said spring roller andprovided at its free end with a hookf. The ladder is provided with aplate 9 and the casing is provided with a strap g". When the ladder iswound up as in Fig. 6, the

I strap f is unwound against the tension of the spring of the roller andthe hook f engages the ladder by the plate 9 or otherwise. When the reelis released the tension of the roller spring starts the unwinding of theladder by winding up the strap f and causing the hook f to pull theladder outward over the uide plate e. After the start is made the 00k fengages by its upper flange the stop 9 and remains in this position, asshown in Fi 5, until engaged and carried back by the p ate 9 when theladder is wound up on the reel. A weight Itattached to the free end ofthe ladder insures the complete unwinding thereof. The reel is held fromunwinding by means of the pawl y' and ratchet 1c. The pawl is releasedby a rod or cord Z, preferably incombustible, extending down through thehouse near the windows adjacent to the ladder, as seen in Fig. l. I haveshown the rod Z hidden within the wall of the house and provided withshort pull-ropes 'min each cham ber. Pulling any of these will raise thepawl, releasing the ratchet and therefore causing the ladder to bequickly unwound and dropped in front of the windows, as seen in Fi s. 1and 2. I provide short braces p at the foot of the ladder and guy-ropesg, in order that the foot of the ladder may be held away from the wallof the house and drawn taut and secured, as in Figs. 1 and 2.

It is desirable to prevent the rapidly unwindin ladder from stoppingwith a jerk when tie reel is entirely unwound. There are several ways ofdoing this, ust as there are several ways of embodying the otherelements of my invention. I show, however, a simple friction-brake rpressed by a spring 8 and follower plate 2, a ainst a disk it carried onthe shaft of the reel The follower plate t is screw-threaded on theshaft of the reel and the spring is of such length that when the ladderis nearly unwound, the follower plate i will have been screwed along theshaft to a. position to press the brake-shoe 1' against the disk -u. Asthe ladder unwinds further, the turning of the shaftscrews the plate 13more and more toward the brake-shoe 2', strongly compressing the spring8 and producing retarding friction against the disk it. To prevent theturning of the plate 11 with the shaft, l provide guides 2*.

After the ladder has been let down for practice, repair or inspection,and when it is desired to wind it up again, the reel is turned by handor power, applied by acrank or other- Before doing so,

however, the movable stop '10 is withdrawn i from the end of the pawl j,so as to allow the pawl to engage the ratchet. The movable stop w isprovided to catch and engage the pawl when the pawl is raised by thereleasing rod Z, so as to keep the pawl from interfering with theunwinding of the reel. The spring as presses the stop to towards thepawl When the pawl and ratchet mechanism are inclosed in the casing, asshown in Figs. 3 and 4, I may provide a small rod 2 projecting from thestop w through the casing, so that the stop may be readily moved torelease the pawl 7' without requiring the opening of the casing.

As soon as the reel is released and the ladder unwinds, my automaticfire alarm rings.

I place electric bells at convenient places, i

preferably on each floor of the building and arrange a circuitcontroller y in position to be actuated by the escape mechanism, as soonas the ladder is put in operation. In Figs.'5 and 6 I have shown thisaccomplished by means of the rolled-up ladder which presses against onemember of the circuit controller, when completely wound up, but leavesit as soon as the ladder begins to unwind, Figs. 5 and 6.

The operation of the device as illustrated, is as follows: On pullingthe rod Z downwards, the reel is released and the ladderis free tounwind. Thereupon the spring band f pulls the end of the ladderviolently toward the right of Fig. 6 and projects the weighted end ofthe ladder over the coping oi" the 5 house, permitting it to fall andunwind the whole length of the ladder. The brake '1' checks theunwinding movement before the ladder is entirely unwound. The ladderthen hangs in front of the windows of the building and the fire alarmsare ringing to alarm the inhabitants. below to secure the guys the firstperson to descend the ladder should do this, as the ladder then becomesfar more rigid and easier to descend. The ladder may be wound up againon its reel, after releasing the guys (1, in the manner alreadydescribed.

What I claim is: 1. In a fire escape the combination of a I reel, meansfor supporting it at the top of a building, means for locking andreleasing said reel, a flexible ladder adapted to be I wound on saidreel, alarm devices located in svarlous parts of the building, anelectric If there is no one 1 der adapted to be wound on said reel,

circuit connected with said alarm devices for actuating them, a circuitcontroller disposed adjacent to said reel and in position to be engagedby the ladder when wound on the reel, said circuit controller beingreleased by the unwinding of the ladder and being operative to hold thecircuit closed while the ladder is in position for use.

2. The combination of a reel, means for supporting it at the top of abuilding, a flexible lire escape ladder connected to said reel andadapted to be wound thereon, means for locking and releasing said reel,alarm devices located in various parts of the building, an electricvcircuit connected with said alarm devices for actuating them, meansactuated autoznaticall by said fire PSCZ pe mechanism for opening andclosing said circuit, said means being operative to hold the circuitopen while said ladder is being wound and to holdit closed while saidladder is in position for use.

3. In a tire escape the combination of a casing, a reel disposedtherein, a flexible ladmeans for locking and releasing said reel, aguide plate adjacent to said reel for supporting the free end ol'theladder when in folded position. a spring roller disposed adjacent tosaid guide plate, a flexible strap connected at one end to said rollerand provided at its other end with a hook adapted to engage said ladderfor starting it when the reel is released and a stop device in saidcasing engaged b said hook when the ladder is drawn out.

In testimoirv whereof I have signed this specification in the presenceof two subscribing nitnesses EVERY lilBlC (TY.

Witnesses:

WrLLrAu A. PERRY, Jr.. Atrcts'r A. VoFnEr.

